All That Glitters Ain't Gold
by A Nobody
Summary: EGOSHIPPY :: EGOSHIPPING :: To escape from a not-so-secret admirer, Gary enters a fake relationship with Misty. But, after all is said and done where does pretend end and reality begin?
1. A Sensible Solution

Disclaimer: Pokemon is not mine.

Author's Note: I'M BACK! It's been a while since I've posted something on ff.n, but believe me I've been thinking about it. Unfortunately, college plus fanfiction aren't a really good match.

I've decided to take on two projects at once! I hope you all enjoy this; and I should also be posting the first chapter of the sequel for Time to Shine (still doesn't have a title yet) real soon!

I hope everyone enjoys!

--

All That Glitters Ain't Gold

Chapter 1

A Sensible Solution

--

It had been a while since I'd been home. Not exactly by choice. I mean, being home is always nice. Mansion. Cooked meals. You get the picture. So when I finally had some time off, naturally I set a course for Pallet Town.

And, for a week, it was great. Gramps was happy to see me, and Mrs. Ketchum came over to cook dinner for us evernight. You know, I seriously think that she has something going with my grandpa...yeah, don't want the mental images. Hahaha. I guess it just runs in the Oak blood. Oh well, at least he's happy; I could care less about the age difference really.

Anyways, where was I?

Oh right. So, I was finally letting loose and actually getting some sleep for once--hey man, being a pokemon professor is a whole lot more than just books and laptops--when the damned would be kamikaze hit. Ash came home, bringing his traveling buddies of course. I had no idea then, but his coming home started off a sequence of events that would change my whole life.

--

"Professor Oak! I'm back!" A loud voice cried.

Gary groaned as he was forced awake by the rapping on the front door. Yeah right, he thought, covering his head with the pillow. A few minutes later he deemed the effort useless, and it became apparent that Ash didn't quite understand that _some_ people enjoyed sleeping in. Neither did his grandfather, for that matter. The Pokemon Professor had left earlier that morning to pick something up in Viridian City.

Muttering a select few choice words under his breath, Gary made his way to the front door. The synchronicity of Ash's traveling group never ceased to amaze him. It didn't really matter which girl he had with him, the trio had some sort of psychic link or something. He wasn't let down either. Once he opened the door he was met by three shocked faces and three voices all feeling the urge to remind him of his name.

"GARY!?"

"Can I help you Ash?" He drawled out.

True, they were friends now but irritating Ash was never going to be out of style. And there was that whole fact that he was still a little grumpy about being forced out of bed.

"Gary, what are you doing here?" Ash asked.

"Well, I kind of live here. Speaking of homes, why don't you go to yours? I'd really like to go back to sleep and I'm sure your mom would like to see you."

"She's not home. I figured she'd be over here." Ash shrugged.

Damned Gramps. Gary was willing to bet money that he wasn't alone in Viridian City. But there was nothing he could do about it now. Sighing, he stepped aside and invited the group in, waving off their apologies for waking him. Well, for the most part at least. While Ash and Brock let themselves in, a certain blue haired girl stayed at the doorway. It was then that Gary remembered he was only wearing pants.

It looked like he had a problem.

--

I wasn't wrong either.

I had met Dawn once before. I was working with Professor Rowan on a project to protect pokemons' natural habitats. We ran into some trouble along the way and naturally that's when Ash made his appearance. The first thing I noticed was that he had swapped girls again. Haha. Well what do you expect? Of course I'm curious as to who Ash is getting around with. Strange tastes if you ask me; it seems he has a liking to younger women. But who am I to judge?

But back to Dawn. She had heard some of--more like tons of--my grandpa's poetry and somehow got it in her head that all Oaks are romantic. Psh. Not this one. I've been around the block, that whole puppy love thing was a looong time ago. But she just wouldn't get the clue.

Everywhere I turned, there she was. Honestly, I couldn't dislike the girl because she was so damned nice. But man was it a nuisance! She wanted to cook for me, go on walks with me, hover over my shoulder while I was on my laptop and so on. Girls like that just don't float my boat. They're too easy, and I NEED a challenge; part of my charm, you know? But there was still a month before I left, and it looked like Ash's group weren't in a hurry to leave either. Something had to be done.

--

"Oh Dawn, you're making us breakfast again! You really don't have to." Professor Oak laughed.

Gary just drank his coffee in silence. Sure enough, Dawn had made her way over to the Oak residence bright and early. There just seemed to be no escaping her. And amazingly enough, it had only been three days. Three long days of preteen babble. Gary knew that his patience was running thin. He knew that he had to get rid of her if he wanted any sort of peace this month, but she wasn't picking up on his subtle hints...or she just chose to ignore them.

He started going over options in his head as Dawn started a conversation with the Professor.

There was the easy way out. He could always break it to her loud and clear. There were problems with that route though. Dawn was still really innocent and he really didn't want to be the first guy to break her heart. Besides, she was a good person and he didn't want to shut her out for good. It was just a matter of making her realize that being friends with him would work out better than her little plot to make him want to woo her.

He could have someone else break the news to her. That way, he' be the good guy and she could aim her hate towards someone else. But somehow he thought that she wouldn't really hear it. Dawn seemed to be a smart enough girl, but she seemed so set on her ideas of who he was. It was worth a try, though. Maybe hearing it from someone who wasn't close to her would make the message actually register in her head. So then where the hell was Tracey?!

"DAWN! There you are, you know you spend more time with Gary here than you do with me and Brock."

Ash came into the kitchen, flashing Gary a sympathetic smile. Gary just nodded in greeting. He knew that Ash understood what was going on; but he also knew that Ash wouldn't really do anything to help him out. He couldn't really blame the guy either, travelling with women since the age of 10 probably had some kind of effect on his brain.

"Hey Ash. Where's the pervert?" Gary asked.

"Who Brock? He's helping Mr. Mime clean up around the house."

Gary nodded and went back to his coffee as Ash took a seat at the table, his thoughts going back to the Dawn situation, as he so kindly dubbed it. It definitely seemed like the second option would be the way to go. But he was missing one essential key to that puzzle. For some reason, Tracey seemed to be missing or something. At least, he hadn't seen him at all in the past of days.

He was brought out of his thoughts by Professor Oak getting up.

"You going somewhere, Gramps?"

"Actually yes, I have to go pick up Tracey in Cerulean City."

That got Gary's attention. Cerulean City was pretty far away from Pallet Town, which was why Professor Oak was already planning to leave first thing in the morning. Even if one left in the morning, making a round trip was something that would take up most of the day. Gary grinned. A whole day away from Pallet Town...sounded almost too good to be true.

"Don't worry about it Gramps, I'll go get him for you." Gary offered.

"Really? Thanks Gary, that's awful nice of you." Professor Oak said slightly skeptically.

"Can I come with you Gary? I've never been to Cerulean before!" Dawn asked.

"NO! Uhh...I mean, I have business to do up there."

"Oh yeah, what kind of business Gary? It must be mighty important if Dawn can't just wait in the car for you." Ash smirked.

Gary smirked right back. His signature stalling technique that had become perfected with time. It gave him at least a few seconds to come up with a plan. But unfortunately, all Gary could think of was choking Ash. He knew that Ketchum had made his comment intentionally, knowing that there was a big chance that Dawn would end up going with him if there was no pressing business. And there was NO WAY that Gary was going to let Ash ruin his only chance to have a break.

And then it hit him. The solution to the Dawn problem...and maybe a shred of payback to Ash. But just a shred.

"Well I didn't want to make a spectacle of it Ash. You know, I hadn't called her since I got to Pallet so I thought it would be nice to suprise her in person..."

"What are you talking about?" Ash asked.

"And why can't I come with you." Dawn pressed.

Gary chuckled, knowing that he had just won this round. Perhaps this plan was a little wicked, Gary figured, but Ash shouldn't have threatened his happy day. Some people never learn. Ignoring Dawn, he turned back to Ash.

"You mean she didn't tell you?"

"Dammit Gary, what are you talking about?" Ash demanded, more frustrated this time.

"My relationship with Misty. We've been dating for months now!"


	2. A Reluctant Ally

Disclaimer: Pokemon is not mine.

Author's Note: Wooooow! It's only been a day since I posted the first chapter and already I'm getting reviews? Awesome, thanks so much for reading everyone!

Oh, and I'm battling with something. Don't worry, nothing too big. But...the title. Should I leave it at All That Glitters Ain't Gold or just shorten it to All That Glitters? I guess it depends on how well known that old saying is, huh? But what do you think?

Oh yeah, and one more question. Should I keep this whole story in Gary POV or do some Misty POV?

And finally, keep reviewing please! Not only do they brighten my spirits and make me want to write more, but they let me know what I'm doing right (and wrong). Very helpful indeed.

--

All That Glitters Ain't Gold

Chapter 2

A Reluctant Ally

--

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?! THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL YOU'RE GETTING ME TO POSE AS YOUR GIRLFRIEND!!"

--

And that was my first real encounter with Misty. After I left the breakfast table, to a stunned audience, I made my way up to Cerulean. I had put two and two together, and realized that Tracey was probably visiting Misty. They had been friends for a nice long time. Poor girl, he's probably the only one of her friends who actually paid her visits. But, whatever the case, it had been really convenient for me considering that she had to be let in on the plot anyways.

I hadn't planned it that way. Honestly, I was going to have Tracey tell Dawn to back off when we got back to Pallet. But when Ash poked his nose into it...well, I just couldn't resist. It was dumb luck that Tracey was in Cerulean; or fate, depending on how you look at it.

What I didn't count on was her actually turning me down. Misty was a lot smarter than I gave her credit for: she wasn't too shocked to see me be the one to pick up Tracey, but when I actually _looked_ at her and asked if we could talk I could tell that she knew something was up. Now, I pride myself on telling it like it is; so I just flat out told her what the situation was looking like. She was going to respond, but I cut her off and asked if she'd be willing to go along with it.

Yeah...that's about where our story left off.

--

"YOU SELFISH LITTLE PRICK! I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU, AND FOR YOU TO HAVE THE BALLS TO EVEN SUGGEST SUCH A THING--"

"Gods Woman! Don't you breathe?" Gary asked.

"Ooooh you want to see me breathe? I'll breathe a lot easier after I get this mess sorted out."

Gary watched her get up and make her way to the phone. That wasn't good. If she told Ash then the whole jig would be up and he'd have a bunch of explaining to do once he got back to Pallet Town. Speaking of returning to Pallet Town...TRACEY! Gary turned to his friend, who looked like a deer caught in headlights, throwing him the keys to the car and flashing him a sheepish grin before running after Misty.

"I can't let you do that."

Gary grabbed the phone out of Misty's hand just as she was dialing the phone number.

"Really now?" Misty smiled coyly, bringing a cell phone out of her pocket.

"I'll give you three guesses as to who's first on my speed dial, Gary."

Gary groaned, definitely not expecting that one. For the second time in one day he was being forced into a quick thinking position. Luckily, one doesn't get to be a Pokemon professor be letting their brain slack off; and he had already come up with his game plan by the time she had hit the 1 button. Good timing too, Gary thought. He knew that if he had taken any longer she would have hit the call button and he'd be screwed.

"Wait Misty. At least hear me out."

"You have one minute." Misty sighed, putting the phone back in her pocket.

With the phone effectively out of sight Gary felt the smirk falling back onto his face, along with the confidence that came with it.

"Well, I know you have a special liking for Ashy-boy. You're obviously doing something wrong if he STILL hasn't asked you out yet--"

He quickly backtracked as she glared and brought the cell back out.

"OK sorry! I'm just saying that men are are quick to act when they feel threatened."

"Meaning?"

"There is no one that Ash feels more threatened by than me. So, if you were dating me his head would explode with jealousy and he'd realize what he was missing out on all these years." Gary finished confidently.

Misty's face took on a thoughtful look, as if she were sorting out everything she had just heard. Gary waited patiently, wondering what was taking her so long to agree. The plan was foolproof. She saved him from Dawn and he helped her get Ash; a win-win situation. It seemed she was coming to the same conclusion, as she finally looked back up with a grin on her face.

"I'll do it under one condition." Misty smiled.

"And that would be?"

"You take me shopping. I want a new outfit."

Gary laughed, glad that she had finally agreed.

"I'll tell you what, if you agree to do something with your hair I'll buy you whatever your heart desires."

--

That was the first, and last time, I ever made such an offer.

--

Gary blinked in shock. The shopping center was pretty close to the gym, so they had decided to walk. That in itself was no problem it was just what happened when they got there. By all accounts he had heard that Misty was a tomboy; so he had assumed that the shopping trip wouldn't take too long. When he saw her make a beeline for shop after shop he knew that he had miscalculated.

"GARY! Come on."

Misty came over and grabbed Gary's hand, dragging him to the store with her. He couldn't help but chuckle at the irony of it all. An hour ago she was screaming at him, and now she's dragging him around from store to store. They probably could pass as an actual couple.

"Ok Gary, the salon's over there. I expect you to meet me there in an hour with my clothes. I have stuff on hold there, there, there, there, and there." She pointed.

"Right. See you in an hour then." Gary sighed.

An hour passed in the blink of an eye. Eventually, Gary made it to the hair salon (with all of the bags). He looked around for Misty, but she was nowhere to be seen. Instead there were a bunch of hairdressers staring at him. He smirked and winked, making them giggle more. Child's play. What did surprise him, however, was when one of the girls came over to him and started talking.

"Are you Misty's boyfriend?"

Gary fought back a grimace.

"Yeah, I guess that would be me." The girl smiled.

"Good! We've been waiting for you. If you'd give me the bags, please; Misty will be right out."

Gary nodded and gave the lady the bags. Inside he was starting to get frustrated. If they didn't leave Cerulean soon then he'd miss dinner. And while he was happy to have Dawn off his back, this day wasn't exactly the vacation he was hoping for. With Misty's unpleasantness, he was starting to wonder if he would have been better off putting up with Dawn's little crush.

His thoughts were put on hold as he saw an unrecognizable redhead coming his way. She had on a yellow plaid skirt and black tank top to match. Nothing was too short, but it was still sexy nonetheless. She matched her outfit with simple, black hightops. Her orange hair was about medium length, about an inch or two past her shoulders. He could tell it was recently styled, there were lots of layers and a slight v-shape in back.

"So, what do you think?" The redhead laughed.

Gary smirked.

"I liked it better when you were silent."

--

I still don't know how I managed to come up with a smart ass response. Truth be told, I was shocked that Misty cleaned up so well. Shit, I was shocked period. But hey, can you blame a guy? All I had ever seen her in were tomboy clothes and a ponytail! I remember thinking to myself that Ash's stupidity had reached a new level if he hadn't noticed what a looker he had been traveling with all those years.

If she hadn't been Ash's friend--or my fake girlfriend-- I would have made a move on her. No doubt about that one.

We walked back to the gym and discussed our cover story. I could tell that she still didn't like me much, or trust me at all for that matter, but I knew that she would still cover for me. Fact is, she wanted Ash BAD; and I definitely had a point about men and jealousy. It didn't bother me that my "girlfriend" wanted Ash, what I needed at the time was an ally. And that's what I got from Misty Waterflower.


	3. A Splendid Homecoming

Disclaimer: Pokemon is not mine.

Author's Note: Eheh...I'm back. It took a year but my ass is back in gear and I'm feeling like writing again. This story, although only two chapters, was favorited enough times for me to realize that people want to see where I decide to take it (myself included hahaha!) and so, here it is! Chapter three STARTO~!

So I have decided that this will be staying in Gary's POV. It's a lot harder to write, but it's fun once I get into it.

And as always, REVIEW PLEASE!

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All That Glitters Ain't Gold

Chapter 3

A Splendid Homecoming

--

I'm never going to forget that first dinner. Everyone was on edge--all for different reasons mind you, but the fact does remain--and the tension was ridiculous amounts of thick. The only one unaffected, naturally, was Mrs. Ketchum; but to some extent she was out of it. I suppose if I had to guess she was just bummed that her son's only chance of an age appropriate relationship had been shot. Oh well, there's that one saying about crumbling cookies that just seems to fit that particular "situation" to a tee.

Anyways, as I was saying, tension was huge and people were frazzled. No one more than me and Misty, though. We had BARELY managed to reach peace, and had just come up with months worth of relationship in the span of hours. It went without saying that we both knew we would be the hot topic at dinner. So not only did we have to keep our stories straight; there were a couple of skeptics in our midst that needed convincing.

--------------------------

Gary was starting to wonder if that whole "Ash's group has insane timing" thing stayed with people after leaving the group. They arrived at the Oak Mansion just as dinner was being set out on the table.

At face value, the greeting was warm enough. There were hugs all around for Misty, a Dawn introduction for Tracey, and a pot of coffee for Gary. He figured that some things were more important than hugs; and after the day he had had, coffee definitely outranked the overly sugar coated welcome parade in the other room. Naturally, his peace was short lived, however, as everyone made their way to the food waiting on the table. Gary fought back an eye twitch as he realized that he and Misty were seated directly across from Ash and Dawn. Oh golly gee, what a coincidence!

The actual eating itself was peaceful. Regardless of whatever was going to come, there was no changing the fact that the table was full of starving people. But as the food started disappearing and the conversations started up Gary knew he was caught in a battle with time. He also knew that Misty felt the same, as her posture slightly tensed after finishing the last of her food. But, when he thought about it, there really was nothing to worry about. Their "history" had been perfected, and they both knew it inside out--mainly since it was all their own fabricated story and all. The thought calmed Gary's nerves somewhat, and he grabbed Misty's hand and gave it a squeeze, hoping to ease some of her tension. Unfortunately, it seemed as if no action was going to go unnoticed to prying eyes...

"So Mistyyyyy," Dawn started. "How did you guys meet? Since you guys are SUCH good friends with Ash I figured you would have told him AGES ago...how long have you been together again?"

"Four months and ten days." She replied proudly.

Gary bit back a laugh as Dawn seemed to get miffed by Misty's speedy reply.

"You see, it was by complete chance that we met. My sisters were vacationing in Sinnoh, Floarama Town I think, where they met a certain spiky headed researcher..."

"Haha, initially it was Violet who was interested in me. Can't say the feeling was mutual, but it was nice to get to hang out with people my own age for once. Luckily, Violet quickly moved on after learning my age; but I guess I left a good enough impression on all of them...they invited me to come back to Cerulean and meet their little sister who was--I believe the word was incompetent--at finding herself a decent guy. Considering I had some vacation time of my own coming up I figured why not? The Sensational Sisters were cool enough and I hadn't been on a date in a while. Heh, I assumed if things went bad I could just run back to Pallet Town and hang out with Gramps anyways. It was a win win situation."

"And you didn't recognize them?" Ash asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Pft, heck no! Last time I was in Cerulean I was 10 years old and, eheh, it was a really quick battle. I was kind of in and out, you know?"

"ANYWAYS, putting my sisters' lack of battling skill to the side and getting back to the story...at that time I had been getting calls daily from them saying that they had found me the perfect guy and shit. I wasn't amused. I figured there was no way I'd ever agree with a guy that my sisters chose. And I was partially right. They eventually wore me down and I agreed to one date and one date only. The day eventually came and I nearly slammed the door in shock seeing Gary of all people there! It's logical if you think about it, I'd only known him as Ash's rival and, naturally, had a degree of dislike for him myself. HAHA! It took the might of all three of my sisters to practically force me out the door! And even then, I was pretty unpleasant for the first part of the date itself. It wasn't until later that I decided to give him a fresh start."

"Since Gramps and Bill are about the same age and have been working alongside each other since before I was even born, I always considered him an uncle of sorts. I was staying with him at the time and when I told him the situation beforehand he was all too happy to conveniently 'be away' on the day of our date: I set up a picnic right on the cliff where we could eat and watch the sunset together. I brought her there and laid it out crystal clear. I told her that I knew she probably didn't like me, but we were stuck together for the next couple hours whether she liked it or not; and I gave her two choices. She could either sit in silence then go home alone or give me a fair chance and we could hang out and honestly get to know each other."

"Geez, then you waved that stupid sandwich in my face as a bribe!" Misty laughed.

"Hey, it worked didn't it!"

"Whatever...doesn't change the fact that you suck as a chef though! But yeah, I figured being a snobby brat wasn't helping anyone and decided to actually try dignified conversation. I don't think either of us expected to hit it off so well! We talked about our likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, and about everything in between. The food and sunset were long gone and over but it didn't make a difference; we just plopped onto our backs and kept talking as we stargazed. Eventually the sun came back and it was about then that we figured it was best that I got home before my sisters woke up and started worrying over nothing. He walked me home and asked me out for coffee later that morning; I agreed; and the rest was history."

Gary smirked as the table erupted into a burst of "awwwwwws" and "that's so cutes." He had to hand it to Misty, she was a good actress. If he hadn't known the truth he definitely would've bought the story; he saw Dawn's face take on a crestfallen look while Ash's simply looked deep in thought. Well that was good news for Misty, he supposed. If Ash was already doing outlandish things like thinking who knew what other miracles could occur! He was brought out of his thoughts by Brock clearing his throat.

"Ok Gary, pop quiz. What foods will Misty absolutely not eat?"

"Oh that's easy, carrots and peppers." He shrugged.

"Misty. What's Gary's favorite color?" Ash spoke up suddenly.

For a split second Gary's mask broke. It's something that they hadn't bothered talking about, but actually quite important. His favorite color was blue. Most people assumed it was purple, due to the old shirt he wore, but in truth he wasn't a big fan of purple at all. The only reason he wore the shirt was because of an argument he had had with Ash when they were kids. He tried insisting that the shirt was blue and Ash just laughed and called it a "girly purple color." From then on, he had worn the shirt just to prove that he could wear a "girly" color and still be great. Naturally, he never accepted defeat and had started calling it his lucky "blue-violet" shirt. But anyone with eyes could see it was purple; and the point was that if Misty named it as his favorite color Ash would suspect something for sure. If all eyes weren't on them Gary would've slapped his hand to his head in frustration for forgetting to mention something so simple to her. Oh well, there was nothing he could do about it now.

"Well...there's his real favorite color...but if you asked him he's ten times more likely to say that it really doesn't matter since he looks good in any and every color..."

Ash was about to open his mouth to respond but Professor Oak beat him to it.

"HAHAHA it's TRUE! I've heard him say it more times than I can count. Really Gary, what's so wrong with admitting you like purple?"

"It's not my favorite color." Professor Oak blinked at Gary's response.

"Oh. Then what is it?"

"Colors don't matter since I look good in anything I wear anyways." He smirked.

As the table laughed at his joke Gary heard Misty lightly let out a sigh of relief beside him. He gave her hand a squeeze to let her know that she had done great. It wasn't until she smiled back at him did he realize she understood what he was trying to tell her.

-------------------------

The rest of dinner was easy enough. The Ketchum Crew eventually started trickling back to their own house until only Brock and Ash remained. Gary took the obvious hint and whistled a merry tune as he carried dishes into the kitchen. He couldn't make out what was being said, but it was pretty obvious what they were talking about anyways. Apparently Ash really didn't like something Misty said and Gary struggled to keep his laughter at bay. Brock's eyes were still closed, however, which probably meant he wasn't in complete shock/outrage/apallation at the current situation. A good thing perhaps? Pouring himself another cup of coffee, Gary went back to the table--where "the crew" was still in deep, hush hush conversation--and grabbed more plates, raising an eyebrow on the way out. Now when did Ash learn so many four letter words?

"You are a genius!"

Gary turned to face his "girlfriend" as she continued talking.

"You see how mad he is? Tell me that isn't jealousy!" Misty gushed.

"He's still here right? Wanna make him even more mad?"

Misty only gave him a smirk that, for a second, made him actually believe that they had been dating for four months. Gary smiled charmingly, grabbed her hand, and together they walked back to the others. Ash had a resigned look in his eyes that made him wonder what exactly Misty had said to him before she came bursting into the kitchen. Girlfriend or not, Gary had to admit he respected her ability to break the obnoxiously bright Ketchum spirit. He slung an arm over Misty's shoulder as everyone started saying their goodbyes...that never seemed to end. Gary made a mental note of the fact. In the past he had actually noticed that Ash's group had a tendency to do a strange, "wave as they walk away" thing; but the actual goodbyes themselves were just as drawn out? No wonder he was so far ahead in the beginning of their journey!

"Umm..sorry to cut you guys off, but I'm a little tired and wouldn't mind having some alone time with Misty before I hit the sack."

"No problem. We're about done here anyways." Brock said diplomatically.

"Cool. Oh, hey Red, where are your bags? I'll bring them up to my room."

"SHE'S STAYING IN YOUR ROOM?!?!"

------------------------

And that was the first and only time I've seen Brock's eyes open.

------------------------

"Yeah. I'm loaning her your old bed, Ash."

Feeling quite satisfied with himself, Gary made his exit with Misty following a minute or two afterwards. They blinked at each other for a minute before they heard the front door close. Not even a split second later they burst into unrestrained laughter. Gary, for his part, found the whole situation amusing. This was honestly the first time that he and Misty had been able to let their guards down around each other, and he had Ash to thank. There was definitely something to be said about the powers of irony. He led Misty through some hallways until the eventually reached his bedroom. He noticed her giving him a look and sighed, apparently their small truce still wasn't completely solidified. But Gary found it didn't bother him too much; compared to the nonstop screaming he received earlier simple uneasiness was a welcome change. There would be time to actually build trust and that crap later.

"Don't give me that look. You're not gonna be in my bed or anything like that. The only thing we'll be sharing is a bathroom and door."

------------------------

I know that my life has been pretty damn nice. I grew up with lots of money and wasn't humble about it, period. A big part of that came from my Grandpa giving into most any demand I had when I was younger. Take, for example, my bedroom. When my parents died and I came to live in Gramps' mansion he let me pick any room I wanted; being the little brat I was, I picked two. My bedroom is actually two separate rooms that are connected by a bathroom and you better believe that both of my rooms are fully furnished. When Ash and I were younger he used to sleep in one room while I took the the other one.

Never thought I'd ever loan the other room to someone like Misty, that's for sure.

-------------------------

Gary scratched his head in slight annoyance. When he had first claimed his bedroom he demanded that one of the two doorways be torn down and turned into simple wall. The reasoning was simple enough, if there were two doors then he was just crashing in two different rooms. By only having one doorway it made it more official that all of it was his room. The room with the doorway was his lounge space, then there was the bathroom, and finally the place where he slept. Simple enough layout and it had never given him problems before. But now here he was. It was seven in the morning and he was craving his coffee and leftover research that he didn't really get to touch the day before. The problem was the redhead sleeping in the next room over. He didn't really want to wake her but...he was wide awake dammit! He continued scratching his head and pondered the events of the night before.

Misty had calmed down after he told her they wouldn't be sharing a bed. He stayed true to his word and gave her Ash's old bed--a huge worn in couch that was probably as old as he was, if not more. Feeling a little tired at the time, Gary had turned in soon after that, but made sure to make some joke about him possibly needing company in the middle of the night before he left. The look on her face had been priceless. The idiot loudmouth actually thought he wanted to sleep with her? Yeah right. As far as he was concerned, sex with Misty would be like sleeping with a dolled up Pikachu. Well ok, so Misty was a lot prettier than Pikachu but it was still the same feeling! Misty practically had Ash's name stamped across her head and the thought of Ash killed his libido ten times more than any conventional cockblock ever could.

Gary smirked as an idea hit him. Later on he'd probably smack his head for it, considering it had nothing to do with what he was pondering before that. But you know what? It didn't matter anyways. Reaching into his desk, Gary grabbed a pen and some sticky notes. He scribbled a message onto the top one and separated it from the stack. Sneaking to the best of his ability, Gary made it through the bathroom and into Misty's room noiselessly. He gently stuck the note on her sleeping persona before making a break for the kitchen, cackling all the way. Misty probably wouldn't be too amused when she woke up, but it was okay! He figured he could always make it up to her...theoretically.

_My favorite color is blue._


	4. A Foundation Solidified

Disclaimer: Pokemon is not mine.

Author's Note: Ok, well I don't really have much to say honestly hahaha. I'm on summer break. Yay. I'll do my best to keep updating if you guys to your best to review and let me know this story still has interest!

Got that? REVIEW!

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All That Glitters Ain't Gold

Chapter 4

A Foundation Solidified

--

Gary made his way to the backyard at a leisurely pace. After finishing his morning coffee and going into the lab for a bit he felt like it was time to stretch his legs. Besides, while he was a researcher, he was still accustomed to being out in nature from his years out traveling. There was just something soothing about relaxing under a tree with all the time in the world that put his mind at ease. It wasn't as if he were stressed or anything, his life was pretty sweet if you looked at it from an outsider's perspective, but even the almighty Gary Oak enjoyed his down time. He plopped down on the ground and distracted himself by watching the pokemon.

Considering that about half of them were his own it brought a smile to his face. He was able to remember every pokemon, and with that knowledge came all of the memories of catching them. When he was younger he had been jealous of Ash. There was a multitude of reasons--that whole grass is greener thing--but the big one was the fact that Ash had real friends. Gary chuckled to himself, rolling his eyes at the clichedness of his thoughts. But it was the truth, Ash had companions and he didn't. Which brought the thought full circle; Gary looked back at the pokemon. He had hundreds out there, literally hundreds, but he knew that, for whatever reason, if he had to name them all he could. His pokemon were his friends when he was lonely, his family when he was alone; and for those reasons he was able to lay back against the tree and remember why he was eventually able to move past his jealousy and be thankful for the life that he had lived.

------------------------

I can honestly say that I think I'm closer to my pokemon than Ash is to his own. I'm not saying he's a bad trainer--I have eyes for god's sake--but I do know I'm right on this. The guy has 30 or so Tauros' and I'd put money down that he couldn't tell them apart to save his life. Then he has this habit of catching new pokemon only to leave them behind as soon as he decides to go to a new region. That in itself isn't a bad thing, it's just that he never really uses them again once they get sent to my Grandpa. But to each their own, you know? I'm not trying to insult the way he conducts his life, just stating the facts to strengthen my original point. I am closer to my pokemon.

Like I said, I didn't have friends. Doppelgangers yes, but no one who actually had my back. Except my pokemon. Most of the time they were out of their pokeballs, partially due to the fact that we trained...a lot. I do take pride in the fact that MY pokemon actually evolved, heh. But anyways, they were my friends; and I constantly switched up my team. I changed teams often enough to where I knew all my pokemon, but not to where they'd think I'd forgotten about them. I know their odd quirks: Blastoise, for example, really likes fish. But not just any fish! Oh no, it has to be burnt on the outside and tender on the inside or else he refuses to eat it. Personally, I always thought it was kind of odd that a water pokemon liked fish but yeah, whatever. And there's Skarmony, who happens to have a really bad case of insomnia. I used to stay up as late as I could talking to him but more times than most I'd fall asleep first and wake up to find him crashed out next to me.

I could keep going on that tangent forever. But then, there would be no story now would there?

------------------------

Gary's peace was somewhat short-lived, however. He heard voices approaching and opened one of his two closed eyes to see who it was. Tracey and Dawn. He shouldn't be too surprised, though. Dawn did make a habit of inviting herself into his daily life and Tracey often popped up at random times. They wandered over to him and Tracey took a seat on the ground next to him. He honestly expected the same of Dawn, but raised an eyebrow as her eyes darted from side to side...nervousness?

"What's up Dawn?" Gary asked casually.

"It's almost noon and you don't have your coffee. Want me to go get it?"

Before he had a chance to reply Dawn had already run back to the house. Gary shook his head, she really did have his schedule down pat.

"I got your text Gary." Tracey said.

"Oh yeah?" He replied.

"Yeah. I'll help...but you better know what you're doing..."

"Thanks man, and don't worry. I've been told I'm a smart guy." Gary grinned.

Tracey's nickname was the "Unofficial Oak." Gary thought it fit him; after all, he had been the one to coin the term. But it was true. At first he had honestly hated the guy. When he looked at Tracey all he saw was one of Ash's friends who had an odd, if not creepy, obsession with his grandfather. A pain in the ass nuisance who wasn't good for anything except drawing pictures. His battling sure wasn't anything to phone home about. It still wasn't, Gary surmised, but it really didn't matter anymore. As he grew up some and the years rolled by he had actually started taking the time to get to know the guy who happened to be living in his house. At the same time, Tracey stopped being such a fanboy and mellowed out some, making him seem more relatable and, in Gary's opinion, tolerable. Then, sure enough, more years rolled by and it reached the point it was at now. Tracey was a part of the family--hence the nickname--and the only person Gary honestly felt he could talk to unguarded.

As Gary listened to his friend talk about the details of their most recent plot he couldn't help but think of how the guy honestly had changed over the years. For the most part, all the changes were purely physical: Tracey was still--in Gary's opinion--way too nice for his own good; and still had a knack to bump his head into others' business and offer a shoulder of support if ever needed. But one thing that had changed had been Tracey's insecurity level. As they had gotten closer Gary steadily picked up on Tracey's lack of confidence when it came to anything about himself except for drawing. The situation eventually came to a head one summer when Gary was trying to go partying and Tracey claimed that he didn't really feel up to it. When he asked why, Tracey mumbled something about girls not being interested in him and that had been the final straw.

He essentially told Tracey that he was tired of his bitching and that it was time to change. From that day forward Gary introduced Tracey to the world of weight lifting and every morning they worked out together. In Gary's mind it was simple logic: the fact of the matter was that Tracey was wider set, big boned, but by adding some muscle to his arms it readjusted one's focus and turned his stature into a plus instead of a minus. Unfortunately, about a month or two later he got called in to do a long term research project in the Sinnoh region. But before leaving he drug Tracey to all of his favorite shopping spots and helped him pick out a new outfit--all paid for by Oak money of course! Keeping to Tracey's original color scheme, the two decided on a pair of green camoflauge pants and a red sleveless top (beater!). The outfit was paired with simple red high tops and, naturally, Tracey's red head...thing. By that time, Tracey's hair had grown out so they also took a trip to the salon. His bangs were kept at their normal length, but the rest of the hair was layered in a semi-spiky style that Tracey claimed made him look like Tad--whoever the hell that was. Whatever the case, Tracey kept the look and eventually grew into his own...and quite well if Gary did say so himself.

His inner Tracey musings were interrupted, however, when Dawn plopped down next to them and passed him a hot cup of coffee. So she was a decent chick. Gary figured if he was the type of guy to get off of obedient, housewifey types then he probably would've been willing to give Dawn a fair chance...maybe. He shook his head, it was probably just the coffee talking. But, for the moment at least, he felt like he should do something more than just ignore her...but what? He grinned and snapped his fingers as inspiration hit.

"You know Dawn. You didn't really get much of a chance to talk to Tracey here yesterday. He's about as Oak as you can get without the blood; hell, in the last few years he's lived here and been around Gramps a lot more than I have. If anyone has picked up anything about poetry, it's this man right here."

And just like that, Dawn's eyes turned to Tracey with an excited glint. He caught the older boy's eyes over Dawn's head and fought down the laugh. Of course Tracey didn't know any poetry! Gary was as confident in that as he was in his own name, but he DID want to do something nice for Dawn, and giving her hope was pretty nice as far as he was concerned: mission accomplished. He knew that Tracey wasn't mad at him, but the look he was being sent fell somewhere in between bemusement and bewilderment; as if he wanted to ask if this was some kind of ridiculous joke. Gary just shrugged his shoulders and closed his eyes, leaning against a tree to see where it all ended up.

"_Hair of spiky chestnut, eyes a dazzling blue_

_Striking as a hungover drunk, if woken up to soon_

_Pearly white teeth, forever lodged in a smirk_

_Laughing at jokes only he understands, fucked up kind of mirth_

_Researcher by day, playboy by night_

_But beauty and brains doesn't quite sum it up right_

_Kind of a jerk, with an ego much too fat_

_For unfathomable reasons, women just seem to dig that_

_He's rude and crude, yet still a dashing young bloke_

_This is my ode to the great Gary Oak._"

By the end of the "poem" Gary had opened his eyes and stared at Tracey blankly as the older man erupted into a fit of giggles, obviously proud of himself. Honestly, what was he supposed to say to something like that?! He stuck with snorting and rolling his eyes dramatically before letting a small grin cross his features. He spared a glance at Dawn, curious as to her reaction, but more than anything she simply looked confused: face scrunched, constant blinking, etc. The blue haired girl looked like she was going to say something, but abruptly shut her mouth before letting any sound out; instead taking on a wounded look, as if someone had run over her puppy or something. Gary figured he should probably ask her what was wrong, but before the words left his mouth he heard the sound of applause directly behind him...and judging by Dawn's expression he had an inkling suspicion as to who it was.

"Geez Gary. I always figured that if you cheated on me it would be with a woman--"

He looked up to be greeted with the winking face of Misty Waterflower.

"--I didn't mean to interrupt the...poetry session...but I just wanted to let you know I'm leaving to go hang out with Ash and Brock."

Misty waved politely to Dawn and Tracey before turning to leave to go. Before he could properly think it out Gary reached out an arm and grabbed one of Misty's legs. In his head it was perfect. He'd trip her up and suavely catch her in his arms; she'd blush and feel dumb while he came out on top looking super cool. In essence a good plan...but naturally the execution was not as perfect as he would have hoped. Instead of gracefully falling into his arms Misty's body came toppling onto his own in a sloppy mess. In the end, he was on his back with Misty laughing for all she was worth as she sat on top of his stomach. The only lesson learned here, Gary surmised, was that Misty's ass had the capability of knocking the wind out of him. Stu-fucking-pendous.

"Heh, if you're really gonna miss me this much I wouldn't have minded giving you a hug, you know." Misty cackled.

"Yeah yeah, have fun with Ashy-boy. I'll see you later." Gary grumbled in reply, pride still wounded.

Misty left; and not even a full ten seconds elapsed before Tracey burst into unrestrained laughter.

"Real slick, Oak."

"Shut up, fag."

"What, you didn't like my poem?" Tracey feigned a hurt look.

"Gary, you shouldn't use words like fag. It's a very derogatory term...unless, do you dislike homosexuals?" Dawn asked innocently.

For a second he just looked at Dawn, with an occasional blink. Was she really serious?! Sure, she had a point but it's not as if he was honestly accusing Tracey of being gay and looking upon it in a bad light. Then, for her to take it even further and hear his quick quip and make it into something bigger by assuming he honestly did have a problem with gays was actually kind of ridiculous. It made him wonder when the world around him had gotten so politically correct. It was as if no one could do anything nowadays without stepping on someone else's toes and pissing off certain groups. But, as he looked at Dawn he realized that she really didn't know any better--she was honestly raised to believe that using a word like fag was something of a be all to end all. So, if he took his logic further it was also safe to assume that her earlier question regarding his views on homosexuality was a legitimate one and not just her pulling his leg like he had suspected...meaning that she was waiting for an answer. His barely concealed laughter made it a little hard to speak, though, so he waited for it to subside before facing the blue haired girl.

"That's not the case at all. In fact, I've gone clubbing with Wallace on a few occasions; and, let me tell you, that man can pick up other men almost as effortlessly as I can pick up a woman."

"But...aren't you too young to get into clubs?"

This time he couldn't hold back the laughter.

"It's all about who you know, Dawn..."

------------------------

That's about the time she started asking questions about clubbing, partying, and that whole scene. You know, I really have no problems sharing that part of my life with people; it's certainly not anything that I'm ashamed of. I am well aware of the perks to being young, good looking, and rich and I've spent my entire life living it up! Say what you will about it, "taking advantage of your position is wrong yada yada," but I could really care less what anyone thinks about the way I've conducted my life. You do what you will to get ahead, and there's no denying that--partially in thanks to networking, which is so much easier achieved when alcohol is involved--I have made friends with people in high places. It's not like I made all of my friends like that, though. Somehow the thought of going to a big bash at the Indigo Plateau and being greeted by a belligerent Professor Rowan...well, it's just wrong. But that's not what the issue is here!

So I was at a crossroad. Dawn's a young and naive girl; did I really want to be the one to open her eyes to how the world works outside of Pokemon Contests? No, not really. It's not that I didn't think she couldn't handle it or anything, I was more concerned with the thought of her thinking it was really cool; not because I was worried about her going off and getting trashed--I doubt she'd be able to convince anyone she was old enough to buy booze, and I seriously doubt Brock would buy her a bottle--I just didn't want her to idolize me and put me any higher on the pedestal I was already fighting so damn hard to get off of. I think it was a well funded fear!

But, then you take into account that I am a red-blooded man. Now honestly, who doesn't like to blab on and on about their various exploits? And you add in the fact that Dawn is nowhere near as innocent as she tries to appear--I mean seriously! Have you seen that piece of cloth that she tries to pass off as a skirt?! I swear that girl has "accidentally" panty flashed me more times then I can count. As if that wasn't enough, she tried giving me a picture of herself in some maid getup once. I'm telling you, no normal kid wears tiny french maid suits and takes suggestive pictures for kicks. Then you add in Tracey, who has taken on the role of my best friend, wingman, and--when things have gotten bad--pretend boyfriend. Just our various adventures alone could probably produce a best selling book! Maybe it was the mood I was in, or it could have been the weather, but the next thing I remember is an afternoon filled with laughter at stories of the past.

It was a good prelude to what was going to come later that night.

------------------------

He figured he was ready. Well, more like knew he was ready. It wasn't like he was going to do anything special with himself or anything.

After Tracey and Dawn left he had texted Misty's phone and asked her to let him know when she'd be getting back. Naturally, her response was wary and suspicious but it was how he had hoped she'd react. It made everything all the more fun for him. So now here he was, after making sure everything was in order, going up to his room to meet his fake girlfriend and take her out on their real first fake date. When he looked at it logically, it kind of made his head spin. These fake relationship things were a lot more complicated then one would think, that was for sure. But it was definitely not something that he'd admit out loud; after all, he was Gary Oak and having problems with women of any sort was not in his manner. At the end of the day, he did have a reputation to uphold! Having reached his room, Gary put his thoughts on hold and turned the knob to the door and entered, nearly falling over at what he saw. Misty was there, all right. But she had apparently explored the room a little and found his old Super Famicom, considering she was screaming at the tv as she navigated Mario (not mine don't sue) through a level. What the hell kind of woman plays video games?!

"Don't even say it, Oak."

"Hm? What are you talking about?" He played dumb.

"Nothing, nothing at all." She played along.

"Ready to go?"

They left the Oak Complex and Gary led them south and eventually they reached the water. He heard Misty gasp at the beauty of the open water and the sun starting to set on the horizon. He smirked and wordlessly released Blastoise from its pokeball. The water tortoise grunted then jumped into the water--Gary had already briefed him of the plan. He hopped onto its back before extending a hang to Misty, who took it and together they sat as Blastoise surfed to the location. It was a tiny block of land, the actual end of Pallet Town per se. As a kid, Gary had come to this spot to think about things. It was his own spot away from the world; and while he was wary of sharing it with someone, the thought of being spied on annoyed him even more. The ride was a short one and soon Blastoise was called back and Gary led them to the spot...

"What?! No fucking way! SHOO!"

Gary groaned as he chased off the wild Pidgeys. His big plan was to simulate their "first date" and add a little to it. Part of the additions was going to be the inclusion of good food to their super awesome all night picnic. It appeared that stupid, hungry Pidgeys had other plans, however. Oh well, nothing could be done about it now! Gary turned and walked back to the blanket and basket that Tracey had helped him set up earlier in the day; Misty, it seemed, had figured out what his plan was and was sitting on the blanket giving him an amused look. Feh, she probably got a huge kick out of watching him chase the birds away. He gave her a mini glare and decided to see for himself if anything was salvageable from the picnic basket. After rifling through he sighed to himself. It wasn't completely lost, but if there was some sort of god out there Gary figured he was probably laughing over the irony of the situation. Gary looked over at Misty and gave her a sheepish grin as he pulled out his find.

"Well, at least we have sandwiches."


	5. NOTE FROM THE AUTHORESS

**CALLING ALL READERS!!**

**So I haven't written in a while and TOTALLY feel like getting some work done…but I'm way too indecisive for my own good. I have a bunch of ideas for all of my stories and want to know where to start. If you have a certain story you'd like me to update than I ask that you please go to my page and participate in my poll. Cast your vote for which story I should get to work on!**

**The poll will close on Valentines Day.**

**THANK YOU ALL FOR READING MY FICS!**

**~A Nobody**


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